Merchant Center Q&A Feed Builder
Write product Q&A for Google's question_and_answer attribute, formatted for a supplemental feed and ready for AI Mode.
Google's conversational attributes
Merchant Center has six optional conversational attributes that help AI features such as AI Mode in Search understand the details of a product: question_and_answer, document_link, related_product, item_group_title, variant_option and popularity_rank.
question_and_answer is the one most stores can fill today. It holds question and answer pairs about the product in plain language, and Google says it's used mainly for conversational AI experiences in Search, in all countries.
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Pairs per product | Up to 30 |
| Each question | Up to 1,000 characters |
| Each answer | Up to 1,000 characters |
| All pairs together | Up to 10,000 characters |
| Content | Product facts only: no prices, dates or keyword lists, and no repeating your title or description |
The builder aims for answers under 300 characters, which keeps even 15 pairs well inside these limits.
The feed format
In a Google Sheet or text feed, all of a product's pairs go in one question_and_answer cell. Each pair is the question and answer in double quotes with a colon between them, and pairs are separated by commas:
"Is it dishwasher safe?":"No. Hand wash and dry upright.","How thick is it?":"0.6 in on all three boards."In XML, each pair is its own <g:question_and_answer> element with <g:question> and <g:answer> inside. The builder never puts double quotes inside questions or answers (it writes "in" rather than the inch mark), so the values can't break the format.
Adding it as a supplemental source
- 01
Copy the product ID
Take the product's ID from your Merchant Center product list and enter it under Details. The Q&A only attaches if the ID matches exactly.
- 02
Build the sheet
Make a Google Sheet with two columns headed
idandquestion_and_answer, with one product per row. - 03
Turn on supplemental sources
The Supplemental sources tab only appears once the Advanced data source management add-on is on. Then go to Settings → Data sources → Supplemental sources and choose Add supplemental product data.
- 04
Link it
Choose the Google Sheets option and select the primary data source to add it to. Keep the feed label and language the same as your primary source, or the rows won't match.
A supplemental source adds data on top of your primary source, so you don't have to change your Shopify or WooCommerce feed app. When you link it, check that your app's data source is in the list.
Questions people ask
What are Merchant Center conversational attributes?
Six optional attributes that help Google's AI features answer detailed questions about products: question_and_answer, document_link, related_product, item_group_title, variant_option and popularity_rank.
How many questions can I add per product?
Up to 30 pairs, each question and answer up to 1,000 characters, and 10,000 characters in total. Ten well-chosen pairs is a good start.
What shouldn't go in the answers?
Prices, dates, discounts and keyword lists. Google asks for product information only, and says you don't need to repeat details already in your description, product highlights or product details.
Can I show the same Q&A on my product page?
Yes, and shoppers will thank you. The product FAQ generator writes a page-ready version with HTML and FAQPage JSON-LD.
Which language should the Q&A be in?
The same language as your product data. Google asks for a supplemental source's language to match the primary source it's linked to.
Related tools
Want this builtinto your store?
I'm Emmanuel, a Shopify and WooCommerce developer. If this tool pointed at something you'd rather have fixed for you (a faster store, cleaner product data, a migration, a custom feature), send me a note.
Emmanuel Asika
Shopify & WooCommerce developer, Dublin
I build and fix online stores: new builds, migrations, speed, SEO and the custom bits apps can't do.